Doc McKinney & Illangelo

Complex says: The Weeknd made the best album of the year (so far), so credit must be given to his incredible producers. As compelling as Abel Tesfaye’s crooning and pained lyrics were, the buzzing synths, pounding minimalist drums, and inventive sampling techniques were a huge part of why House of Balloons was so good. From our understanding, Doc McKinney (who is a much more seasoned vet than most people realize) and Illangelo handled the bulk of the production work. Although they’re not a duo, we really can’t decide which one of their beats we like more, so we’re just gonna namecheck them both.